Top Chef: Just Desserts – Ep 6 – Fight For Your Right To Gravy Foam

In a sentence I never thought I would say – this week we get to have a Beastie Boys themed cooking competition show. And if that wasn’t weird enough, both challenges involved non-dessert foods. Because nothing sounds more delicious than desserts made out of baked beans and ravioli. Heck, you wouldn’t even eat those things together normally! I will admit, I like these wacky Top Chef challenges – sure, it doesn’t prove anything about a chef’s marketability or talents to do what they will eventually sell to the public, but it is a fun twist on the competition and does show the adaptability of these chefs.

Even if none of them will ever make another dessert containing falafel again.

Kudos to Ad-Rock from the Beastie Boys for being a good sport and doing this show. I can’t imagine doing a Bravo Junior Varsity cooking show is high on the cool street cred meter, but nevertheless, here he is being a very good sport. Of course their recently released album – Hot Sauce Committee Part Two – may have something to do with the appearance.

The chefs lose their ever-lovin’ minds when Ad-Rock enters the room, especially Rebecca. It almost gets to the point where Ad-Rock may want to consider a restraining order. Later on, he signs her cast and her internal monologue becomes external, as tends to happen with Rebecca. She tells him she will keep it forever. Her sweaty, germ-infused forearm cast. Yeah, I think there may be legal action coming.

Another unfortunate side effect of the Beastie Boy’s appearance – waaaay too much rapping. Matt and Megan – how do I put it, um, just don’t do that again. You can’t make exotic foods with Wonder Bread.

The other non-food aspect of this episode is the budding Macho-Katzie rivalry. And yet again, it seems Bravo is manufacturing a rivalry for the sake of having one. I am sure the two of them clashed, but it seems a bit gratuitous. Katzie got offended because Macho implied that putting a chainsaw in Katzie’s hands would be scary? Um, it would. It would be scary in the hands of any of these people. When Katzie went back into the other room with Rebecca to complain about Macho’s teasing, she uttered this, “You think you’re so gangster in the hood?” At first I was baffled – Macho? Gangster? When did she become a John Singleton movie character?

However, my answer presented itself during the Elimination Challenge. Our old friend Marcel randomly showed up and shared an enthusiastic hug with Macho. It seems they are long time buds. Ahhh. That’s where her bitchiness and cattiness comes from. That would explain the strange attempts at street cred – I remember Marcel rapping on the roof. Boy, I really want to stay very far away from that circle of friends. Marcel’s extreme douchiness qualities came out to play in his limited exposure this week when he told Hammer he didn’t plan on finishing his dish. No offense, of course. You’re a dick, Marcel, no offense, of course.

As for the nuts and bolts of the episode, it was bizarre foods challenge day. First the chefs had to use random root vegetables to make a dessert in the Quickfire. Then, using foods and drinks mentioned in Beastie Boys songs; they had to make a dessert out of that. Needless to say, they didn’t have much in the way of chocolate, fruits or whipped creams. We are talking about pizza, beer and various vegetables. Chefs pick two items for themselves, and then get to pick one item for another chef as sabotage (my favorite Beastie song, and coolest video).

Honestly, these challenges are fun, but I would have a hard time going home because I couldn’t make a cake out of a falafel. But it is part of the goofiness that this show brings to cooking. Macho and Matt really excelled this week for some reason, oh wait, there is a reason. It seems both have actually cooking experience and were thus able to correctly prepare the foods and manage the flavors well. Macho edged him in the Quickfire by going Asian with a mango pudding to go with her vegetable. Nice job in using your strengths to power through a weird challenge. Matt also made a wise choice in making a parsnip cake. As we know, carrots translate well to cakes and parsnips are at least a distant cousin of the carrot.